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polestarneighbor's review
I'm stopping after Chapter 12, in which the business owner, who has forced an underage designer to work off her stepfather's debts, decides that the only possible way to prevent her from revealing this arrangement is to personally attend a high school dance with her. Specifically as her date. He definitely has no other choices. I cannot deal with this long enough to find out what is happening with the ghosts.
eyreguide's review
4.0
A contemporary Beauty and the Beast retelling is always welcome, and I really enjoyed this book! It's light on the retelling aspect, although there are the important elements from the fairy tale - the confinement, the beastly hero, the connection between the couple, and the power of love to redeem. The story weaves in a great backstory for the heroine - Raven or Rae, who has a talent for designing clothes, but who has a very tough home life. Raven was so much fun to read about because of her wryly sarcastic voice. I found her hilarious!
The romance in this story is very sweet -it's sweeps you up if you don't pay too much attention to why they fall in love. Although for me, I felt it was hard to understand why Gideon fell in love with Raven so quickly when she was always so antagonistic to him initially. But I didn't mind too much since I really loved the characters, and it was great to read about their growing interest in each other. And I thought it was wonderful that Gideon can help Raven just as much as she can help him. And Gideon does help Raven realize her potential. Raven has two best friends who come to visit sometimes, and I loved that there is a little romantic b-plot going with those friends - this was an all around wonderful read for the romance aspect. (And YAY no love triangle!)
The story includes an interesting spin on the magic - there is a curse of sorts and a dark, forbidding house which made the story very mysterious and creepy at times. There were some particularly nerve-wracking scenes! Both the romance and the mystery of what secrets Gideon was hiding made this book so readable - a fantastic page-turner with engaging characters, swoony romance, and eerie mystery!
The romance in this story is very sweet -it's sweeps you up if you don't pay too much attention to why they fall in love. Although for me, I felt it was hard to understand why Gideon fell in love with Raven so quickly when she was always so antagonistic to him initially. But I didn't mind too much since I really loved the characters, and it was great to read about their growing interest in each other. And I thought it was wonderful that Gideon can help Raven just as much as she can help him. And Gideon does help Raven realize her potential. Raven has two best friends who come to visit sometimes, and I loved that there is a little romantic b-plot going with those friends - this was an all around wonderful read for the romance aspect. (And YAY no love triangle!)
The story includes an interesting spin on the magic - there is a curse of sorts and a dark, forbidding house which made the story very mysterious and creepy at times. There were some particularly nerve-wracking scenes! Both the romance and the mystery of what secrets Gideon was hiding made this book so readable - a fantastic page-turner with engaging characters, swoony romance, and eerie mystery!
couscous's review
3.0
Maybe this book caught me in a slump, or maybe I'm just not the same starry-eyed fangirl who dished out four, five stars for books I thought were the bees knees at fourteen.
Don't get me wrong, this is an okay book, might have scored a four if the creepiness and not the romance took centre stage. There were aspects that freaked me out, and i found myself wanting more, but the Artisans didn't deliver. I didn't really care for the characters, despite awaiting this book with hope for something that'll knock my socks off. What I found was a little too cheesy romance.
I wish the book had gone for longer, and there had been more development in the relationship between Gideon and Raven. Also, Gideon's character disappointed me; I was expecting more of a conflict from him, more of that conflicting evil rather than 'deep down I'm actually good' vibe.
I really didn't want to compare this book to any other beauty and the beast retellings, but compared to the character development of a court of thorns and roses I'm kind of disapointed. I feel like though it was a good book, I wanted more of that creep factor.
Don't get me wrong, this is an okay book, might have scored a four if the creepiness and not the romance took centre stage. There were aspects that freaked me out, and i found myself wanting more, but the Artisans didn't deliver. I didn't really care for the characters, despite awaiting this book with hope for something that'll knock my socks off. What I found was a little too cheesy romance.
I wish the book had gone for longer, and there had been more development in the relationship between Gideon and Raven. Also, Gideon's character disappointed me; I was expecting more of a conflict from him, more of that conflicting evil rather than 'deep down I'm actually good' vibe.
I really didn't want to compare this book to any other beauty and the beast retellings, but compared to the character development of a court of thorns and roses I'm kind of disapointed. I feel like though it was a good book, I wanted more of that creep factor.
onyxwolf's review
3.0
I wish I could give the book 3.5 stars because I'm stuck between like and really like. I really like the writing and the adaptation from Beauty and the Beast plot. It's more than a little far fetched, but what fairy tale isn't?
What I didn't care for was the romance aspect.
The love story feels a bit rushed. The ghosts are the real story and if she's going to make more books in this series I think the love story could have carried over to the next book.
But I did enjoy the book and would like to read more of her work :-)
What I didn't care for was the romance aspect.
Spoiler
Major issue is that we have a young man who's physically aggressive toward the girl. Not that he hurts her, but it's the holding of the wrists, the getting so close to her she ends up flat on her back while he's practically laying on top of her to make her listen to him. I know that in YA it's a very popular theme but it would be nice if we were showing romance without the controlling aspects.The love story feels a bit rushed. The ghosts are the real story and if she's going to make more books in this series I think the love story could have carried over to the next book.
But I did enjoy the book and would like to read more of her work :-)
drchavez08's review
5.0
While I really enjoyed the plot and most of the characters in this gothic retelling of Beauty and the Beast, I have to only give three stars simply because of the character Gideon, the "beast." His controlling and manipulative personality wasn't admirable to me, and I cannot wrap my head around a woman as strong as Raven falling for a man like him. Obviously, being the beast of the story, he was supposed to be unlikable in the beginning, but he doesn't really change in the end, he just has these uncharacteristic moments of compassion and kindness. That being said, I loved the mystery and horror elements of this book, and Reece's writing style and witty dialogue is amazing. All in all, I enjoyed reading the book and it kept my attention, so I can't really complain.
tanya_tate's review against another edition
DNF 71%
When you are reading a book and two things happen that’s a big sign that you are not enjoying it.
1. It takes you almost a week to read a 300 page book where it usually takes you 2-3 days at best.
2. You are 70% in and you want to stop but since you are almost at the finish line, you keep on moving.
I found myself doing that with this book
It's honestly was a decent book until Gideon confession which he seems very controlling and not respecting Raven wishes at all. I have been on A Beauty and the Beast retelling kick lately and this one disappointed me. While Raven was a decent main character and I liked her friends, the romance part of it fell flat since it really wasn't a turning point with their feelings. You could say the west wing part was is some similar to the Disney version of BATB but it felt it jarring how he was a compete asshole to her and than all of sudden nice. Also Gideon seem like he should have been older than 19. I did like the Southern Gothic feel since I was born and raise in the south but that wasn't enough to save this book. I really was looking forward into finishing and reading the second one but that is not happening.
When you are reading a book and two things happen that’s a big sign that you are not enjoying it.
1. It takes you almost a week to read a 300 page book where it usually takes you 2-3 days at best.
2. You are 70% in and you want to stop but since you are almost at the finish line, you keep on moving.
I found myself doing that with this book
It's honestly was a decent book until Gideon confession which he seems very controlling and not respecting Raven wishes at all. I have been on A Beauty and the Beast retelling kick lately and this one disappointed me. While Raven was a decent main character and I liked her friends, the romance part of it fell flat since it really wasn't a turning point with their feelings. You could say the west wing part was is some similar to the Disney version of BATB but it felt it jarring how he was a compete asshole to her and than all of sudden nice. Also Gideon seem like he should have been older than 19. I did like the Southern Gothic feel since I was born and raise in the south but that wasn't enough to save this book. I really was looking forward into finishing and reading the second one but that is not happening.
jlove731's review
5.0
The first thing I thought when I finished this book was 'dang, I would love to see this as a movie'. The Artisans has such an awesome and haunting concept to it plus I just adore all of the characters. It's truly an eerie and unforgettable book with a slightly sexy twist and I loved it.
At first when we meet Raven, I almost thought this book was a historical fiction because it came off so gothic-era-esque, but you later find out that it's definitely not and gothic is just her style, which was a striking characteristic about her. With Rae, I feel so sorry for her throughout this book...she hasn't had the easiest life nor does it become any easier for her. I admired her strength though and was happy for how the book ended for her.
With our lead boy, Jack or shall I say Gideon Maddox, I had an opposite feeling for him. I actually had to grow to love this boy. At first he starts out so arrogant, so mysterious, and it kind of irked me. As the story plays out though, you begin to see that he does have a heart and is put in just as bad of a situation as Raven. Plus, Jack is freaken sexy and I LOVE the fact that he has blonde curls...total win! Watching him and Raven break each other's walls, totally made me love them.
The other characters in the book are just as awesome! My favorite probably being Cole, who I loved right off the bat. Cole is hot and French and I just really liked his role through out the book. Dane and Mags were so cute together and amazing best friends for Raven. Finally, Jenny...aka best house keeper ever!
Overall this story was one I totally loved! The concept and world building of The Artisans was just so unique and creepy that it kind of blew my mind with how different it is. Plus, with my love of photography...it easily captured my attention. What was also cool about this book is that it has paranormal, magic, romance, and basically a lot of awesome elements wrapped into one. Fantastic story line, loved it!
Find this review at Shortie Says
*ARC provided by Month 9 Books for an honest early review
At first when we meet Raven, I almost thought this book was a historical fiction because it came off so gothic-era-esque, but you later find out that it's definitely not and gothic is just her style, which was a striking characteristic about her. With Rae, I feel so sorry for her throughout this book...she hasn't had the easiest life nor does it become any easier for her. I admired her strength though and was happy for how the book ended for her.
With our lead boy, Jack or shall I say Gideon Maddox, I had an opposite feeling for him. I actually had to grow to love this boy. At first he starts out so arrogant, so mysterious, and it kind of irked me. As the story plays out though, you begin to see that he does have a heart and is put in just as bad of a situation as Raven. Plus, Jack is freaken sexy and I LOVE the fact that he has blonde curls...total win! Watching him and Raven break each other's walls, totally made me love them.
The other characters in the book are just as awesome! My favorite probably being Cole, who I loved right off the bat. Cole is hot and French and I just really liked his role through out the book. Dane and Mags were so cute together and amazing best friends for Raven. Finally, Jenny...aka best house keeper ever!
Overall this story was one I totally loved! The concept and world building of The Artisans was just so unique and creepy that it kind of blew my mind with how different it is. Plus, with my love of photography...it easily captured my attention. What was also cool about this book is that it has paranormal, magic, romance, and basically a lot of awesome elements wrapped into one. Fantastic story line, loved it!
Find this review at Shortie Says
*ARC provided by Month 9 Books for an honest early review